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No. 751,814. PATENTED FEB. 9, 1904. G. W. SPEGHT 6: W. P. WET'ZLER.

BALL RACK.

APPLICATION nun APR. 14, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented February 9, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SPECHT AND WVILLIAM P. VYETZLER, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BALL-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,814, dated February9, 1904.

Application filed April 14, 1903. Serial No. 152,513. (No model.)

To all whom it nuay concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE WV. SPEoH'r and XVILLIAM P. WETZLER,citizens of the United States of America, residing at Allegheny, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Ball-Racks, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inball-racks such as are employed for the holding of billiard and poolballs; and the primary object of our invention is to construct a rack insuch a manner that the balls may be instantly released from the rackwhen desired and will fall by gravity into a basket or other suitablereceptacle to receive the same whereby to materially facilitate thereplacing of the balls upon the table for another game.

Briefly described, our invention comprises a rack embodying a series ofseparate supporting-shelves, all of which are at an incline, the ballsbeing adapted when placed on the shelves either from the front of therack or from one side thereof to roll toward the lower end of the shelfor shelves and said end of the rack at the lowest end of the shelvesbeing provided with openings to permit the balls to pass therethrough.The halls are held in the rack by means of a vertically-movableretainer-bar provided with a plurality of openings, one for each shelfin the rack, and when this retainerbar is elevated whereby to registeropenings therein with those in the side of the rack the balls are freeto roll from their shelves into the receptacle to receive the same. Asupporting-shelf is provided for the basket or other receptacle employedfor receiving the balls, and we also preferably construct the rack withregistering or tally means whereby to keep account of the games as theyare played.

Our invention further consists in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, andspecifically pointed out in the claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to theaccompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification and wherein like numerals ofreference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in whichFigure 1 is a view of our improved rack, partly in central verticalsection. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is ahorizontalsectional view thereof.

Our improved rack embodies a frame comprising a back or base 1, bottomboard 2, top board 3, which latter may have asuitable ornamental piece 4secured to the front edge thereof, a side strip 5, and a side strip 6.Secured to the side strips 5 and 6 and extending at an angle to thehorizontal line are a plurality of shelves 7, which are preferablyprovided in their upper face with grooves 8 in order that the balls maybe readily retained thereon. The insertion of the balls onto theshelves'of the rack may be either from the front of the rack, in whichevent the shelves will be placed a sufficient distance apart in order topermit the balls being placed on the respective shelves, or the ballsmay be entered through openings 9 in the side wall 5. The side wall 6 isprovided with openings 10, one for each shelf, whereby the balls willroll by gravity from off the shelves when the retaining means for theballs is released. The retaining means comprises averticallyreciprocatory retaining-bar 11, which operates throughopenings made therefor in extensions of the bottom board 2 and top board3. This retaining-bar is provided with a plurality of openings 12, onefor each space between the shelves, and when the retaining-bar is inposition, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the portion of materialbetween each adjacent pair of openings is opposite the openings 10 inthe wall 6, whereby the balls 1 1 lodge against this portion of the barand are retained on their respective shelves. WVhen the bar is elevatedwhereby to register openings 12 with openings 10, the balls are free toroll from their shelves into the basket 15 or other suitablereceiving-receptacle. -A shelf 16 is provided upon which the basket orother receptacle is supported, this shelf being suspended from thebottom board 2, and in order to limit the downward movement of theretaining-bar 11 we provide a stop 17 on the upper end of the bar andfor convenience in operating the bar provide a handle 18 at its lowerend. In construction of the case we also provide a box 19 to form achute to guide the balls to the basket or other receptacle and providethe front of this box with openings 20, in which pegs may be inserted toindicate the number of games played.

It is believed that the operation of our device as above described whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings will be clear tothose skilled in the art, and while we have shown and described theinvention as the same is practiced by us, yet it will be noted thatvarious slight changes may be made without departing from the generalspirit of our invention.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination in a ball-rack with a back, top and base boards,inclined shelves'and side strips at each end of the rack having openingscoinciding with the spaces between the shelves,

the top and base boards being extended beyond the side strip at one endof the rack and formed with openings in said extended portions, of amovable retaining-bar having a handle at its end and fitting andslidable in the openings in the top and base boards and beyond theextreme ends of the shelves, said bar being adapted to fall of its ownweight and when in its lowest position having its openings out ofalinement with the openings in the adjacent side strip, and a, stop ontop of the bar. for maintaining said retaining-bar in lowered positionwhereby an unobstructed View of all the balls on said racks will be hadand provision made for allowing the balls to roll out of the rackssimultaneously by raising said bar substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE W. SPECHT. WILLIAM P. WETZLER.

Witnesses:

A. M. WILSON, E. E. POTTER.

